Guide vane



May', 1924.

L` A. WATTS GUIDE VANE' Filed dan. 18.

Patented May 6, 1924.

f iJNlTD STATES PATENT oFFl-CE.

LnoN ADDISON WATTS, or LANCASTER, SOUTH CAROLINA, AssIeNoR To4 ALLIs-cHALf- MERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY,.OF MILWAUKEE, WISCO'NSIN, `A. CIOIR'PORA'JIONl OF DELAWARE.

GUIDE VANE.

To all whom t may concern.' Be it known that LEON A. WATTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lan-l struct guide vanes for controlling the direc` tion and quantity of water delivered to a hydraulic turbine, of sheet metal. Such prior guide vanes ordinarily consist of a sheet metal body and one or more pivots associated with the sheet metal body in any convenient manner, the pivots serving to permit adjustment of the guide vanes in order to regulate the flow of water past the vanes. Under certain conditions of operation it has been found necessary to reenforce the sheet metal bodies of such guide vanes by providing internal braces coacting with the opposite sheet metal walls of the vanes.

The present invention contemplates provision of simple and relatively inexpensive means for adding rigidity to sheet metal guide vane structures. The invention consists of placing cement, concrete or similar material in the interior of a sheet metal guide vane in order to resist external pressures upon such vanes. The concrete or other material thus inserted within the sheet metal body of the vane may either com- I pletely or only partially fill the vane and may be reenforced if desired.

A clear conception of an embodiment of the present invention may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a part sectional top view of a concrete reenforced sheet metal guide vane.

Fig. 2 is a part sectional side elevation of a concrete reenforced sheet metal guide vane.

The guide vane illustrated in the drawing comprises .a pair of integrally united sheet metal ,side plates2, lpreferably formed cfa i single sheet of ,metal bent tothe .desired shape. with the aid of dies and unitedatthe discharge edge 9- ofthe vane by fusion of metal as by welding; The sheet metal body is providedwith upper and lower supporting blocks 6, 7 respectively, which are rigidly attached to the side plates 2,3 inl any suitable manner as by spot welds 13; The blocks 6, 7 are provided withintegral upper and lower pivots 4', k5 respectively, having central openings communicatingv with alined openings in the blocks 6, 7 which are connected by means `of a relatively smallpi-pe 8 in order to permit thepassage of lubricatf ing fluid from one of the pivot stems 4, 5

to the other. In relatively llarge guide` vanes the side plates 2,l Smay `be properly spaced yand braced by means of a plurality;

of struts 12 as indicated.` The interior of the sheet metal body of the guide vane is preferably filled with concrete 10, cement, or other non-metallic ller having reenforcing wires 11 embedded therein, although the reenforcement is not a necessary element of the structure. The concrete 10 may be readily admitted to the interior of the guide vane through the open ends thereof and may either completely or only partially fill the vanes.

It will be noted that with a guide vane thus constructed the side plates 2, 3 are rigidly held in proper spaced relation against eX- ternal pressure. The sheet metal forming the side plates 2, 3 may be readily bent to the proper shape with the aid of dies. The blocks 6, 7 and the struts 12 are firmly vembedded within the concrete 10 and the reenforcing wires 11 prevent the concrete 10 from breaking and falling out of the guide vanes The entire structure is relatively inexpensive and enables the use of material having relatively high wear resisting qualities for the surfaces which are exposed to direct contact with the water. The concrete 10 besides effectively reenforcing the side plates 2, 3 adds desirable weight to the guide vane thereby aiding in efficient adjustment of the vanes. It will be obvious that while the pivot stems 4c, 5 have beenillustrated as being separated endwiseand rigidly attached to the blocks 6, 7 respectively other forms of pivoting of the vane may be readily employed.

It should be understood thatit is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction and of operation herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A guide vane for turbines comprising, a sheet metal shell, and concrete reenforcement within said shell.

2. A guide vane for turbines comprising, sheet metal side plates, and non-metallic reenforcements between said side plates.

3. A guide vane for turbines comprising, a single sheet metal wall formed to produce a hollow center, and a filling of non-metallic substances located in said center.

4. yIn a guide vane, a sheet metal outer wall, pivot blocks secured to said wall, pivots associated with said blocks, and a illing of concrete within said guide Vane and surrounding said blocks.

5. In a guide vane, a concrete core, sheet metal surrounding said core, and a plurality of struts embedded in said core and connecting opposite portions of said sheet metal.

In a guide Vane, a concrete core, sheet metal surrounding said core, blocks embedded in saidkcore and attached to said sheet metal, and blocks.

7. In a. guide vane, a concrete core, a single sheet of metal surrounding said core, and pivots associated with said core and with said sheet.-

8. In a guide vane, a` concrete core, a single sheet of metal surrounding said core, blocks embedded in said core and attached to said sheet, and pivots associated with said blocks. 1 Y.

9. In a guide vane, a reenorced concrete core, a single sheet of metal embracing said core, struts embedded in said core and/connecting oppositeportions of said sheet, and

pivots asaociated with said pivot blocks embedded in said core and at-l tached to said sheet. 10. A turbine vane comprising, a sheet metal shell, and a concrete reenforcement within said shell. Y

ll. A turbine vane comprising, afrelatively thin metallic shell, and a concrete reen` forcementwithin said shell.

12. A turbine vane comprising, a relative# ly thin metallic shell, and a non-metallic reenforcement within said shell.

In testimony whereof, the signature of the inventor is aiXed hereto.

LEON ADDISON WATTS. 

